Writing a Research Proposal Dr. M. Cleveland-Innes Professor and Program Director Centre for Distance Education

Agenda Introductions Becoming a writer Writing an essay of argument Finding your place in the relevant literature Identifying the right question Choosing the right research design

Introductions Names and program of participants Qualifiers What but not how Ceteris parabis* – proposal writing is somewhat discipline specific Holy grail – clarity, argument, parsimonious questions, and detailed, appropriate design *Latin phrase that translates approximately to "holding other things constant" and is usually rendered in English as "all other things being equal". Read more:

Becoming a writer "The most universal advice on writing a successful grant proposal is to present a well written, focused solution to a problem in a logical progression. This is much easier said than done, and finding the focus is often the most difficult piece of the puzzle. To find this focus, we suggest writing a "concept paper." A concept paper summarizes in two to three pages the entire project from beginning to end. The point is to take all of the ideas in your head and put them down on paper as concisely as possible. Writing a concept paper is a good exercise in defining your priorities and mission, and can be a useful tool in obtaining valuable feedback before "diving into" the full proposal." (cf. About page).

Becoming a writer

Becoming a writer Less is more Learn about tense, voice and verb agreement Not writing but rewriting “As you edit, concentrate on continuity: does each sentence and each paragraph lead into the next, or does the reader have to ask why you are suddenly talking about this? Writing requires meeting a reader’s expectations, but without becoming predictable and thus boring. Each paragraph should do what the reader expects, but do it in a way that is unexpected.” ary.ca/files/courses/F11/SOCI631/sem 1/SOCI631-F11-SEM1-outline.pdf

Writing an essay of argument Statement of claim: “Emotion is present in online learning environments.” Write at least three premises supporting your claim and cite the relevant literature. Create a strong rationale for why your research is important: “Understanding the role of emotion will allow improved facilitation.” Caution: don’t just describe relevant information and retell the stories from the literature.

Using the relevant literature Choose a general topic Find 5 articles on research in your field Read and document Choose 5 more articles Read and document What don’t we know?

Uncovering the dark spots

Identifying the research question What problems exist in the practice of our field? What don’t we know (looking for dark places)? What interests you? What expertise is available in your department or institution? What can I accomplish in the time I have? Don’t be presold! “Which, if any, human emotions are present in online learning environments.”

Choosing the right research design The question determines the method–maybe ;-). Practical and applied or abstract and theoretical? Is there enough already known to help you formulate deductive notions and test the? Is this an exploration of new relationships? How or what questions that explore or describe – qualitative designs. Testing and comparing relationships – quantitative designs.

Resources Locke, L., Spirduso, W., & Silverman, S. (Eds.). (2007). Proposals that work: A guide for planning dissertations and grants proposals. Thousand Oaks, California: Sage Publications, Inc. Nair, A.S. (2007). On becoming a researcher. Retrieved from: Becoming-A-Researcher

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